289 Pakistanis die in Greece boat tragedy
ISLAMABAD At least 289 Pakistanis lost their lives in a boat target that took place off the Greece coast a few days ago.
The overcrowded boat carrying more than 700 illegal immigrants crashed just away from the coast of Greece.
International media reports indicated that at least 289 Pakistanis are among the boat victims who lost their lives.
Greece authorities are sending to Pakistan the dead bodies of the boat victim Pakistanis. Several Pakistanis, nevertheless, are still missing.
Mourning day today
Prime Minister also announced Monday as a ‘Mourning Day’ due to the Greece boat tragedy. Pakistani flag will fly half-mast today (June 19) while prayers will be offered for the departed souls.
10 Agents arrested in AJK
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) police arrested 10 agents for their involvement in the trafficking of people to Europe, including those who died in the Greece boat tragedy.
On June 14, an overcrowded boat, carrying 750 people crashed in open seas off the Greece coast. Many Pakistanis have also died in the tragedy. The exact death toll of Pakistanis is yet not available.
The Foreign Office said that so far 12 Pakistanis have been rescued.
According to police, arrested agents are facing charges under sections 418 (cheating with the knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to a person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 322 (punishment for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
“They were sub-agents or agents of main human traffickers Chaudhry Zulqarnain, Talat Kiani, and Khalid Mirza. They belong to Kotli and Mirpur areas in AJK and live in Libya.
PM Shehbaz ordered inquiry, formed a committee
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a probe of Pakistanis casualties in a boat tragedy near the Greece coast.
Several Pakistanis are among 80 people who died in a boat wreck near Greece.
Premier also formed a four-member committee to probe into the incident.
Rescue teams save many passengers after a boat capsized off the Greece coast.
Director General of the National Police Bureau Ehsan Sadiq is chairman of the committee. Foreign Ministry Additional Secretary (Africa) Javed Ahmed Umrani, DIG Zaheer Ahmed, and FIA Joint Secretary Faisal Naseer are members of the committee.
The four-member committee will collect facts about the boat accident off the coast of Greece. The government’s committee will also investigate the tragedy from the angle of human smuggling, and identify the human traffickers.
The committee will submit a report to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a week and the government will take action in light of the committee’s findings.
